Max
by My.Most.Grievous.Fault
Summary: One year on from the death of Max, all the Lightwoods and their friends are still reeling after the death of Maryse and Robert's beloved youngest son, Max, who was killed by Sebastian.


It had been a year today since Max had died.

Isabelle sat at his grave, manicured nails grabbing at her long black hair angrily.

_How could I have let Sebastian do this?_ She thought.

_Jonathan. His name is Jonathan. _Of course. She wouldn't let that monster take the name of a boy who was innocent and had simply been a way of Jonathan to get to the Lightwoods. 'Jonathan' sounded worse, though. It simply made her think of Jace.

"Iz? What are you doing here?"

Isabelle turned around to see her older brother, Alec standing in the shade of the tree behind Max's grave. The darkness of the shade made Alec's piercing blue eyes appear indigo. He was wearing white, she saw, the Shadowhunter colour for grief.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Isabelle pointed down to her own white dress, which was emblazoned with frills and showed off the Marks running across her arms and legs.

"Right." Alec blushed and nodded, and came to sit beside her. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed affectionately.

When she shrugged him off, he glared at her. "You're not the only one who misses Max, you know, Iz. We _all _do. Jace and Clary included."

Isabelle scoffed. "_Clary _couldn't care less about Max, as long as she has Jace." She looked back at Max's grave. _The bravest boy the Clave has ever known_, it read on it. Or at least, what her imagination thought it should read. "Clary didn't even know Max."

"She met him once or twice, Izzy. Don't act like she doesn't care. She does. She even thinks it's her fault."

Isabelle got up from the grass, ignoring the grass stains left on her knees and the lower part of her dress.

"Why would it possibly be _her _fault? She always thinks- Whatever. It doesn't matter. He's dead now."

She turned her back on the grave and started to walk away. _Only 9 years old, _her mind screamed. _Not even a teenager yet. And now he'll never be one. _

"Isabelle, wait!" Alec grabbed the back of her dress and pulled her in towards him, ignoring her struggles to break free. "You never placed the flowers on his grave." He gestured to the bouquet of white tulips, roses and primroses clasped in Isabelle's hands.

Isabelle looked down at them and gulped as tears started to well up in her eyes and fell down on her cheeks. "I'm ruining my makeup." She said, rubbing the tears away fiercely with her right hand.

"It doesn't matter, Iz. You _know _it doesn't. _Please_, just come and put the flowers on the grave. It's what Max would want you to do."

Those last lines were what tipped Isabelle over the edge. She collapsed onto the grass in a heap, howling with pain and sadness. _A year today, _she thought. _So why does it feel like no time has passed at all? Why does it feel like my life is a broken record, a repetition of pain over and over again?_

"Isabelle."

Isabelle suddenly stopped crying and looked behind her to see who had said her name. Could it be… No, it couldn't possibly be…

Simon.

Isabelle ran towards him, suddenly not caring that her mascara was dripping down her face. All she wanted was to be in Simon's arms, to feel his breath on her face.

She went into his arms and hugged him tightly, pulling him towards her.

"_Simon. _I've missed you so much."

Even though Simon had only been a couple of months in the vampire pack, away from Isabelle, it felt like an eternity. She wanted to make up for lost time, catch up on what he's been up to. But all she could do was stay there in his arms.

She had never originally been attracted to Simon. At first, he had just been a way to annoy her parents and get their attention in the only way she could. It wasn't easy, being the only female Lightwood child. Robert and Maryse were always focusing on keeping Jace safe as their adoptive child and making sure both him and Alec received efficient training. It was never about _Isabelle's _needs. But now, Simon was more than that. Ever since Max had died, she had felt a special bond to him, a bond she had never told anyone, with the exception of Maia, about. She remembered when she'd first felt it, a week after Max's death. Isabelle had gone round to Luke's to help him collect the rest of him and Clary's stuff from Alicante so they could go back to New York, and Simon had been there, sitting in Luke's rugged old maroon chair. He had been clutching a manga book, Isabelle had noticed, and was engrossed in it, eyes wide behind his glasses. She had felt a pang of love, affection and recognition at that point- he looked so much like Max. After that, Isabelle had started to pick up on lots of Max-like things reflected in Simon. Simon's ability to fall asleep anywhere, - he had once fallen asleep on a 5 minute ride to the nearest store- the colour of his eyes, a hazelnut colour like Max's, the way he could get caught up in a book. There were other things too, more emotional things, like Simon and Max's shared bravery and integrity, and valour. They would both do anything to keep Isabelle safe.

Simon kept her safe now, holding her in his arms and wrapping her in his coat so she didn't get cold. She was about to point out that _he _would become cold when she realised- he's a vampire, duh. They don't get cold.

"I didn't think you were going to come." She said, in such a whisper that she wondered if he would hear her.

"Why wouldn't I? Max didn't deserve to die. Besides, you needed someone besides your brother to support you." Simon nodded to Alec, who was staring at them with a confused look on his face.

"Thank you, Simon. For everything." She hugged him tighter.

"It's fine." He smiled at her before frowning. "Why didn't your parents come?"

"They were busy. Meetings with the Clave. That's what's stopping Luke, Jocelyn and Clary coming too." Alec came towards them, a slight smile on his face. You could tell he was trying to ooze seriousness, but his eyes said otherwise.

"And Jace?" Simon said the name without venom. Once upon on a time, he would've said that name with spite. But that was what felt like years ago. Back when he was in love with Clary.

"He wants to stay with Clary. He wasn't officially invited to the Gard too, but he insisted he came too." Alec sighed. "Ever since he found out him and Clary could be together, he hasn't left her side for one minute."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "How cute- not. This isn't about Jace and Clary. I don't want to hear about them. I don't want to hear about anyone who puts Clave before family."

"_Isabelle_." Alec said, his tone straining. "They had no choice, and neither did Mom and Dad. You _know _that."

She glared at him. "There's always a choice, Alec. You should know that by now." She looked up to see the sun starting to set in the sky. "Now, come on, let's go perform the ritual before it's too late."


End file.
